Welcome to the Diocese of Cleveland’s Innovation Series, which seeks to gather and share valuable learning from the Keeping the Faith Strategic Plan in order to strengthen the system of elementary Catholic education.
On Thursday, March 27, more than 100 Catholic elementary school leaders from throughout the Diocese of Cleveland gathered for an Innovation Summit to share a hopeful vision and best practices for the future of Catholic elementary education.
A keynote address was provided by Dr. Kevin Baxter, the University of Notre Dame’s Director of the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program and a career long innovator in Catholic schools and systems. A recording of his address is at the link below.
The rest of the day featured panels and breakout sessions sharing their innovative approaches to Catholic education in this diocese and beyond.
Click HERE to view a full agenda of this event.
Posted - March 31, 2025
With the 2025-26 school year underway, we resume the Innovation Series with a conversation with Molly Vaughan, Catholic educator and visionary founder of Motogo, the Cleveland nonprofit that is “bringin’ back shop class” to schools throughout Northeast Ohio and beyond. Listen as Superintendent Frank O’Linn discusses with Molly the origin of Motogo, its transformational impact on students in numerous Catholic and public schools, and how even more schools can participate.
Learn more about Motogo at https://motogocleveland.com/
Posted - September 8, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Listen as Superintendent Frank O’Linn speaks with Caitlin Smith, instructor for Digital Ethics at St. Angela Merici School. This innovative course is integrated into the upper school curriculum to teach young people how to navigate the complex world of online interaction from a Christian and Catholic worldview. Hear as she describes Digital Ethics’ origins as a grassroots effort that has evolved over the last four years. Listeners will understand not only what she does at her school, but also what they can do for their own students, and how she can be a resource for Catholic schools who want to meet this challenge in more intentional ways.
Posted - May 27, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
In this installment of our Innovation Series, listen as Superintendent Frank O’Linn discusses academic excellence with an exceptional elementary educator, Erin Dziak, of St. Thomas Aquinas school. Listen as Erin describes how her dynamic classroom practice has been shaped by the Teach Like a Champion framework. Drawing from her firsthand experience, she shares how the TLAC techniques have transformed her teaching practice—boosting student engagement, strengthening classroom culture, and driving academic excellence. Tune in to hear practical insights, real classroom stories, and the inspiring ways this educator is helping students thrive through high expectations, precise instruction, and a deep commitment to Catholic formation.
Posted - May 12, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Resources referenced in this recording:
Montessori education is a child-centered educational approach developed in the early 20th century by Dr. Maria Montessori, an Italian physician, educator, and devout Catholic. The Montessori method emphasizes hands-on, experiential learning and fosters independence, critical thinking, and a lifelong love of learning. Unlike traditional classroom settings where teachers lead direct instruction, Montessori classrooms are designed to allow children to explore and learn at their own pace. “One of the things that makes a Montessori program unique is that children really do come out knowing their strengths and weaknesses and being able to articulate what they need,” according to Normile.
Posted - May 5, 2025
Listen to the Frank O'Linn's interview with Principal Patty Normile of Mercy Montessori HERE.
Listen as Assistant Superintendent McKenna Corrigan interviews Benny Morten, Deputy Chief of Schools for The Independence Mission Schools. On this Ash Wednesday interview, they discussed the founding of Independence Mission Schools and its financial model, support systems for school leaders, faith formation in network / independent schools, measuring success and impact, benefits and challenges of a networked approach, engaging outside funding sources, and innovative practices.
Benny Morten has dedicated 25 years to Catholic education, bringing a wealth of experience and leadership to his work. Benny began his career as a teacher and assistant principal at Saint Anthony School in Harlingen, TX, serving for six years before moving into the role of principal at Saint Ann School in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, where he led for 13 years. For the past seven years, Benny has been a member of Independence Mission Schools' Academics Team, currently serving as Deputy Chief of Schools for Independence Mission Schools, a nonprofit network of 14 independent Catholic schools serving 4,000 students in grades Pre-K to 8 from families of all faiths in and near Philadelphia. In this role, his focus includes leadership development, federally-funded programs, community partnerships, and strengthening Catholic identity across the network.
To learn more about the network, visit The Independence Mission Schools website.
Posted - April 25, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Leadership and Governance is a key theme throughout the Keeping the Faith strategic plan for elementary education. At the time of its launch in 2023, about 60% of the elementary schools in the Diocese of Cleveland did not have a formal board structure. While the practice has begun to expand, there remains much more room to grow.
Superintendent Frank O’Linn spoke with Dan Ferris of Boston College’s Roche Center for Catholic Education, who serves as both the Program Director of the Executive Leadership Academy as well as the Program Director of the Roche Center’s Board Development Institute, the focus of the conversation.
The Board Development Institute provides Catholic school leaders and active board members with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to manage high-functioning Catholic school boards. It was created through a generous grant from the Healey Education Foundation, making it the nation's most comprehensive Catholic board formation program. Three Diocese of Cleveland high school boards are currently participating with the Center this year.
Dan is a Catholic educator and school and system leader, who previously served as the superintendent for the Diocese of Providence in Rhode Island, and as Director of Accreditation and School Improvement for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ Commission on Independent Schools. Listen in as he applies his accumulated wisdom and explains the benefits of boards to Catholic schools, as well as the role the Board Development Institute can play in strengthening them.
Posted - April 14, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Resources referenced in this recording:
What does it mean to “right size” a Catholic School? In the 2019-20 school year, the NCEA reported that fully 25% of Catholic schools had enrollment of 150 students or fewer. There was a time when dioceses such as ours and recommendations for a minimally viable K-8 school. Usually something like “over 200” or “not under 180,” or some similar threshold. While fundamental truths will always exist, for example the need to generate enough revenue (through tuition, fundraising, or other means) to attract and retain great teachers, strict definitions of size need not necessarily be firm and bureaucratic. Strategies such as multi-age classrooms, creative staffing, personal learning technology, etc. can enable a school to be intentionally small and still deliver on the core purpose of “constant reference to the Gospel and a frequent encounter with Christ” (The Catholic School, Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, 1977, n55).
Posted - March 31, 2025
Last fall, the six parishes of western Lake County made news when they announced the launch of the Lake County Catholic Schools Network. Since then, the plans have taken shape, including the selection of Barb Mancari as the network’s president. Listen as Superintendent Frank O’Linn, Ed.D., interviews key leaders: Fr. John Betters, Bishop’s Liaison for the Keeping the Faith initiative, Fr. Joshua Cochrac, Administrator of St. Justin Martyr parish in Eastlake, President Barb Mancari, and both school principals: Katy Rankin of All Saints of St. John Vianney, and Karen Trunk of Mater Dei Academy.
View an FAQ document about the LCCSN, and the slide presentation from the Lake County Catholic School Network, LLC launch meeting here.
Posted - March 17, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Partnership Schools is an independent 501(c)3 school management organization that operates 4 diocesan Catholic elementary schools in the City of Cleveland. Their mission is to develop outstanding Catholic elementary schools that provide students from underserved communities with the academic preparation, values, and skills they need to break the cycle of poverty and lead fulfilling, productive lives. Diocesan Superintendent Frank O’Linn, Ed.D., interviews Christian Dallavis, Ph.D., Partnership Schools Superintendent, discussing the network's structure, supports, and its unapologetic commitment to both academic excellence and faith formation – how robust Catholic identity and high academic expectations are deeply intertwined.
Learn more about Partnership Schools at the network’s website, including the network’s very intentional approach to academics and school culture.
Posted - March 17, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Resources referenced in this recording:
When Mike Wisnor was installed as the president of Incarnate Word Academy in September of 2019, the religious order elementary school, well known for its faith formation and academic excellence, had experienced 6 consecutive years of enrollment decline. Listen to the interview with Superintendent Frank O’Linn to hear how embracing continuous improvement led IWA to National Blue Ribbon recognition in 2023 and Ohio STEAM designation in 2024. Mike also discusses his leadership of the St. Brendan School community in their discernment to adopt a classical Catholic educational approach, as well as his current consulting with Ss. Robert and William as they implement a new president-principal model overseen by a board of directors.
Posted - March 10, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Resources referenced in this recording:
The Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE) “inspires and equips Catholic educators to renew today’s Catholic schools by drawing on the Church’s tradition of education…” and accompanies schools through discernment and engagement in a process of renewal.
Listen as superintendent Frank O’Linn, Ed.D. interviews Danny Flynn, ICLE’s Director of Diocesan and School Relations, to discuss both a clear definition of what Catholic liberal education is, and why it can be great for Catholic schools. They also discuss the ways in which the organization partners with schools to not merely adopt a new “model” or “program” but rather infuse a Catholic vision of reality. They discuss the ways in which this is both visible and invisible, as well as the ongoing supports available from ICLE through professional conferences, workshops, publications, and consulting.
Visit the ICLE's website to learn more.
Posted - March 10, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Superintendent Frank O’Linn, Ed.D. speaks with with John Reyes, Ed.D. lead author of a recent white paper about Catholic school network research from the Roche Center for Catholic Education, of Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development. Listen as they discuss the history and context for Catholic school networks, emerging findings from the center’s research, and what they mean for the future of the Diocese of Cleveland.
Posted - March 3, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
View the white paper: Reyes, et al. (2024). Solidarity and sustainability: Effective networks of Catholic schools.
Resources referenced in this recording:
Notre Dame ACE (Alliance for Catholic Education) Academies are a national network of Catholic schools supported by the University of Notre Dame's ACE program. Founded in 2010 as a response to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ call for a “new model of sponsorship and collaboration” between Catholic institutions of higher education and parish schools, the network has served 18 schools and counting, strengthening Catholic identity, academic growth, and enrollment in its schools.
Listen as Superintendent Frank O’Linn, Ed.D. interviews Ryan Clark, Ph.D., Gary and Barbara Pasquinelli Family Director of The Notre Dame ACE Academies and Scott Embacher, Regional Director for Notre Dame Ace Academies in Akron. They discussed what the NDAA model is, how it works, and where it is going in the future. The Diocese of Cleveland is actively seeking more schools interested in joining in the partnership with Notre Dame, and they discuss the benefits of a schools membership and the process of discernment.
Posted - March 3, 2025
Listen to the full recording HERE.
Resources referenced in this recording:
Child & Youth Protection
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To report an abuse, please contact local law enforcement and:
Kathleen McComb, Victim Assistance Coordinator
Response Services – 216-334-2999
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